The mediating roles of perceived stress and health behaviors in the relation between objective, subjective, and neighborhood socioeconomic status and perceived health. Ann Behav Med 2014 Oct;48(2):215-24
Date
03/22/2014Pubmed ID
24648016Pubmed Central ID
PMC4156915DOI
10.1007/s12160-014-9591-1Scopus ID
2-s2.0-84896413350 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 81 CitationsAbstract
BACKGROUND: Objective, subjective, and neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) are associated with perceived health, morbidity, and mortality.
PURPOSE: We investigated whether perceived stress and health behaviors mediated the relation between the three types of SES and perceived health.
METHODS: Participants (N = 508) attending a public clinic completed a computerized survey assessing objective SES (income, education, employment); health behaviors; perceived stress; and perceived health. They also indicated their social standing relative to others (subjective SES) and provided their current address to determine neighborhood SES.
RESULTS: In a structural equation model including all three SES types, lower objective and subjective SES were related to poorer perceived health. When mediators were included in the model, there were significant indirect effects of (a) SES on health through stress and (b) SES on health through stress and health-compromising behaviors.
CONCLUSIONS: Interventions to reduce the impact of stressors could improve the health of socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals.
Author List
Senn TE, Walsh JL, Carey MPAuthor
Jennifer L. Walsh PhD Associate Professor in the Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AdultFemale
Health Behavior
Health Status
Humans
Male
Models, Theoretical
Poverty
Residence Characteristics
Socioeconomic Factors
Stress, Psychological
